Jain Rup Mandan

Author(s): Umakant P Shah
Publisher: Abhinav Publications

Page 78

Notes on the Jaina Pantheon
65
are deities like fire, who, worshipped with oblations of havya, baked food etc., remove all calamities. The Kuladevatās are divinities worshipped in families from ancient times. Cakreśvari, Ambikā or Kusmāņdini, Padmavati, Jvälini, Rohini, Mahākāli, Kalika, Sarasvati, Gauri, Siddhāyini, Candi, and Durgă are (such) Kula devatās who should be worshipped with profound devotion by those desirous of welfare. The Veśmadevatäs are of four types: the Visvešvaris, Dharadhiša, Sri-devi, and Dhanada or Kubera. The Visvešvaris are the Mothers of the Jinas who should be worshipped by the best ladies in their homes. By worship of the mothers, a housewife, who is barren, is able to bear a child. These Sat-kriya-devatäs (Visvešvaris) worshipped with homa for peace (śänti) are powerful.
Worship of Kubera in a home is said to bring eternal prosperity while worship of the Dhara-Indra (?) is enjoined for having a male child. Worship of Sri-devi protects the life of a child in the mother's womb. They should be worshipped with garments, ornaments, fruits and cooked food.
The author further says that at the end of the worship of all the above-mentioned deities, a housewife should worship the dvärapälas and should perform Pitr-Tarpana with water. 67
With this may be compared the ancient Jaina classification of gods given to Gautama by Mahāvira in two dialogues recorded in the Bhagavati-sūtra. In one answer, Mahavira said that gods were of four classes: Bhavanapati, Vänavyantara, Jyotiska and Vaimānika.68 In another dialogue, Mahavira said that gods were of five types: Bhavyadravya-deva, Naradeva, Dharma-deva, Devādhideva and Bhavadeva. 69 Those souls who are going to obtain Devahood in future are Bhavyadravyadevas. Those who deserve god-like respect amongst human beings are Naradevas, e.g. the Cakravartins. Those who are well-versed in scripture are revered as Dharma-devas, e.g. the different types of Jaina monks. The Devādhidevas are the Arhats who possess the real jñana and darśana. Those who experience the merit (karma-fruit of action) of birth as Bhavanapatis, Vyantaras, Jyotiskas or Vaimānikas, are Bhāvadevas.
It has already been shown that these celestial beings, the Bhavanapatis etc., are divided into ten groups according to their position and function amongst gods, the groups are Indra, Sämänika, Trayastrimśas, Pärişadyas, Atmarakşakas, Lokapālas, Anikas, Prakirnakas, Abhiyogyas and Kilbisakas.
There are no grades nor Indras amongst Vaimānika gods beyond the Kalpa-heavens, in the Kalpātīta heavens, where each inhabitant calls himself an Indra and all are alike. They are therefore known as Ahamindras. The Kalpavasi gods attend the ceremonial worship of each of the five Kalyanakas (auspicious events) of every Tirthankara but the Ahamindras do not go out of their heavens, though they do pay their homage to the Jinas on all such occasions by folding their hands in the añjali mudrā.
A deva is spontaneously born. In each heaven there are many devis, each deva having many wives. Each pair of deva has a big retinue of minor devas, as also vāhanas. elephants etc. Devas or celestial beings have the following eight acquisitions or supernatural powers: animā, laghimā, sakabhā (power to assume any form and number of bodies at one time), vasitva, išitva and prakāmya (power to act at will), corresponding to such powers described in the Yoga system. The devas have fluid or changeable (vaikriya) bodies. 70
Jaina texts describe the lesyäs of each main class of gods and of different types of beings. The doctrine of leśyās or thought-colours is an interesting advancement shown by the Jainas, from ancient times, in the field of psychic research and culture.71
REFERENCES
1. For a detailed account of Jaina Cosmography, see
Kierfel's Die Kosmographie Der Inder, pp. 210ff. This account is mainly based on Trisasi., 2.3.479ff, G.O.S.
II, pp. 1051f. 2. For Jaina Units of Measurements, see Ramachandran,
T.N., Tiruparutrikungam and its Temples, pp. 165ft. Trisasi., I (G.O.S.), p. 103, n.
3. Trişasti.. I (GOS), p. 245 n. Yogaśāstram, 4.103.
Painted diagrams of the Lokapuruşa dating from c. 16th century A.D. are available mainly in Mss. of the Samgrahani Sutra. Kierfel, op. cit., pl. 4. U.P. Shah, Treasures of Jaina Bhandaras, Fig. 93, Jaina Citrakal. padruma, I. Fig. 73. Quite a large number of illustrated Mss. of Samgrahani are available in Jaina Bhandaras,